The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-03
A DETECTIVES LUCK.
An Accidental Discovery That Led to the
Quick Capture of a Big Pension Swindler.

J. e. Jacobs, chief the detectives in the ex-
amining department. of the Government Pension
Office, is in the city, stopping at the Grand Ho-
tel. He has been In the secret service of the
government for several years. and has been sue
cessful in unearthing nearly all the great pom
sion swindles that have occurred in recent years
His home is in New York. and prior to the be-
ginning of his service with the government
was of the leaders of the Tammany Hall De-
mocracy. He began his service with the govern
went a pension examiner, bu. soon developed
q talent for secret work that put him at the
head of that department of the Office. Mr..
Jacobs entertained a number of the local gov
eminent officers last night by relating some of
his experience in tracing down pension frauds.
''The biggest one ever had" said he, twas the
Patterson swindle in New York. Patterson is
the man reported to have drawn the largest
pension that was ever granted by the gov
eminent. By the boldest sort Of fraud
he succeeded in getting something over
1000, and had cashed his check be-
fore the governments dropped to the fraud.
He operated from Auburn, N. Y, but his home
was not known to any one in the Pension Office.
had been off on q long trip. and happened to
reach Washington on the day the swiudle
discovered in the Pension Office. When I came
in every body excited over the swindle, and
NO one knew what to do. There was not single
clew at hand that would lead to the arrest of the
perpetrator of the swindle. The matter
turned over to me. and asked to do the
best could under the circumstances. I had
known Patterson when a boy, but had
no idea how he appeared at the pres
emit time. My first move was to
find where he stopped. when
in Washington, and there got the name of a
woman with whom he was acquainted. I hunt
ed up the woman but all she could tell me was
that Patterson's home was at small town up
in the mountains of Firginia. got directory
of Virginia and by going over all the towns in
the State with her she recalled the name of the
one in which he lived Ii was only way sta
ton. and several hundred miles from a town of
any size. That night started for the place in
hopes of finding there come cew to the wherea
bouts of Patterson. When 1 was within
a hundred miles so of where the was
supposed to live, an old gray haired man got on
the train and / overheard conversation in
which he spoke the name of Patterson. / was
satisfied that he referred to the Patterson I was
hunting, and made up my mind at once that
he was a confederate of the noted swindler. l.
made inquiries of the conductor to where the
old mans ticket stamped for, and found it
was not for the place To which was going with
the expectation of finding Patterson. The con-
ductor also furnished me the name of the ola
man, which was Miller. I asked the conductor if
the man had been in the habit of getting off at the
station at which he was going to stop his train.
He said II was not his custom-thae he usually
went on to the station beyond, the same one at
which had located Patterson. | was satisfied
that by accident had discovered the confeder-
ate of Patterson and the hiding place of both in
the lonely mountain town. The old man left
the train at the station for which his ticket
stamped and in order to avoid suspicion I went
on the next That night got the sheriff to
assist me, and we drove through q cold driZZ
ling rain ten miles, to the town where / expected
to find my We searched the place about
o'clock in the morning and went to the hotel.
/ learned that both Mills and Patterson
were there and waited for them to come
down. Patterson came first, and greeted him
with how do you do Dock, that was the nick
name / had known him by when boy. He
didn't know me and seemed startled by my ia
miliarity. [ called him TO side with the re-
quest that would like to him a moment and
quietly drawing my revolver from pocket
informed him tina. wanted him. He was
powerful man, and / have doubt that if he
had not been taken by surprise he could not
went up stairs and found Mills in the room they
had occupied. The Garnet was torn up. and I'M
der it we found Sc, 600 of the money they had
stolen from the government. l afterward sue
ceeded in finding nearly all the balance of the
$12 900. The arrest of the men the quick
est and best piece of work ever did. and it was
all the result of accident. 1 called it, good
luck"
'.Is there much fraud practiced in securing
pensionsr was asked Mr.. Jacobs
Eyes; great deal, but not much of il goes
undiscovered. There have been cases where
swindlers were kept MP continually for ten
years. but in the end we all get to them. The
most extensive frauds we have those through
which mythical widows of soldiers are granted
pensions Only short time since an Eastern
swind.ar was brought to Justice. He had kept